Tears
by Harley's Little Harlequin
Summary: Columbia has dealt with being different and being teased her whole life but the girl with the bright smile always bounced back like nothing hurt her….what happens when the light behind the smile is only an ember and its smothered out by each and every fowl name and each shove into the school hall. WARNING: this story is very sad and contains possible triggers!


_**A/N: okay….it seems I've come to this...I've read stories before, modernized stories, AU stories, even normal stories where magenta became so depressed and she committed suicide….now don't get the wrong idea about me I'm not getting any kind of pleasure out of making this story because I've got friends who have struggled with suicide and it hurts to watch knowing you can't help them completely. But I got the feeling that if our bright little Collie was pushed around to much, damaged and hurt, she'd eventually fall over the edge...I'm not gunna lie I cried making this story so I'd just like to say I'm sorry for breaking feels and bringing up the subject.**_

 _ **~Little Collie**_

 ***~Tears~***

Freak, pest, brat, stupid, crybaby, slut, bitch….all these words are hurtful on their own but when they are all screamed at you and paired with laughter and pointing fingers they can become more powerful and even more hurtful. The damage they cause may not be physical but it hurts worse than any razor, cuts deeper than any knife.

Magenta had known Columbia since they were children and the other girl had always been odd but she never deserved the names they called her. When they first met in kindergarten she was this energetic ball of brown hair and bright clothes topped with a squeaky voice. She had skipped into the playground before school wearing a bright pink t-shirt, pale blue shorts, pink shoes and a blue bow in her hair.

She'd looked around with large brown eyes at the other kids playing. She'd gone to a brown haired girl on the swings and introduced herself but the girl only laughed and pushed her down before leaving with three other girls. Columbia didn't get mad, or even cry, as she got up and brushed herself off going to someone else. The result this time was getting called a little brat and being pushed away, still she wasn't derided as she made her way over, a little more shyly, to Magenta and her brother Riff Raff in the sandbox.

She introduced herself with a bright smile and asked to join them and Magenta let her, poking her brother in the ribs when he tried to tell her to scram. She could see nothing wrong with this girl she was just energetic and maybe a little chatty but she was sweet and polite for a girl of 4. In grade school the torment continued, Columbia was placed in class without Magenta and with all the kids who teased her or the ones who looked the other way during recess when they'd push her and tease her.

On the last day of grade school she'd shown up to the graduation with her mother's make up covering a bruise on her cheek from the kids who had hit her after school the day before. In middle school the girls were placed in all the same classes but one and during that class, Magenta's office running period, she would often find Columbia sitting in the office waiting for the councilor who had seen kids picking on her and thought her getting back up and smiling was surprised emotions.

That was the year Laura Ansalong, Betty Monroe, Janet Wise and some other girls had cornered her in a bathroom and plunged her head into the toilet laughing as they did failing to see the blood dripping from her nose as water was forced up it and down her throat. After that had happened and she'd entered class with damp hair wearing her gym clothes Magenta seen the first glimmer of sadness in her brown eyes but it fades quickly as she told the teacher she had tripped over the janitor's cart in the restroom and it dumped all over her. The teacher bought it and left her alone.

During freshman year Columbia was only in a handful of Magenta's classes but they talked all the time and could always be seen together, walking to classes, eating lunch, sitting together during open classes, even after school hanging out at each others houses. Magenta loved being at Columbia's house, her mother was super sweet and made Magenta feel like she was part of the family. Her father was funny and always made them laugh, her little sister Carol adored Magenta even at the age of 10 and was always following them.

Magenta never knew things in the family weren't as they seemed until Columbia was gone, then the news of her father's affair and her mother's secret lover all spilled out, Carol did her best to live past the disgraces these events brought on her but at the age of 15 she moved across the country with her aunt to escape it all. During sophomore year Columbia began dating Eddie, one of the boys who wasn't mean to her, and was happy in the relationship. Eddie treated her well and was willing to let Magenta come along on dates to the pizzeria when ever she felt like it, he spoiled Columbia with flowers on her birthday and kisses any other time until the name calling began.

Near the end of senior year the kids who had been tormenting Columbia through all four years by pushing her around, shoving her into the pool, locking her out of the school, done everything but physically beat her began to get worse. Whenever they'd see her and Magenta in the halls they'd snicker and call Columbia names, hurtful things, like fag, lesbo, slut, cheat, and whore. Eddie caught wind of the names and Columbia thought that because he was her boyfriend he would stand up for her, she was crushed more than anything when he broke up with her calling her a two timing slut for cheating on him with Magenta.

Columbia never said anything to Magenta about it because she didn't want her only friend drug into it and so she just smiled and acted like she wasn't hurting or wanting to scream and cry. The day after the break up a group of girls had cornered her and started telling her to just kill herself, do everyone a favor and leave the world. That day Columbia went home early without telling anyone and the rain began to pour outside the windows. It was around 11:00 at night when Magenta got a call from Columbia's mother who was sobbing in a panic, Columbia hadn't come home at all after she left school and wasn't answering her phone.

Magenta did her best to calm the woman on the other line before they hung up and Magenta dialed her friend's number mumbling for her to pick up over and over and over. The phone made a noise as it was answered, Magenta could hear the rain as though Columbia was standing in it. Magenta's throat felt tight but she called out Columbia's name a couple times before there was a small mumble of 'I'm sorry' before the line went dead.

Magenta screamed into the phone as though hoping her friend would hear her. Her screams drew her brother into the room, he took her into his arms sinking to the floor with her as she sobbed clinging to him. The next day there was no sign of Columbia and Magenta had joined a search party with Carol and her mother, Riff even joined trying to help find the girl. After searching any place Columbia could normally be found Magenta remembered the loud rain through the phone and her heart sank as she gripped tightly to Columbia's mother's arm.

They searched the river that cut through the outer part of town until sunset when finally they found Columbia on the bank covered in mud and soaked through and dead. Her wrists were cut up, some scared over but the dominant ones ran from her wrist down her forearm to the crease of her elbow, they were red and deep. The sight made Magenta fall to her knees ignoring the mug that splashed up onto her as she did, Columbia's mother gave a blood curdling scream as she ran to her daughter and gathered her into her arms sobbing as though her tears would bring back the girl in her arms.

At school the next day Magenta felt like every part of her body was submerged in cold water making her numb and unable to feel at all. As the teacher walked into the room she took a shuddery breath and set the papers on her desk before looking at the class. Seeing the sad look on the teacher's face the class quieted down to listen. Looking at the empty seat next to Magenta a tear rolled down the teacher's cheek as she announced Columbia's death, suicide she had said making the few kids in the room that were nice to Columbia gasp while the rest that had teased and tormented her through school sat silent. Eddie looked lost as he stood up and ran from the room, Magenta got to her feet and left the room as well but she had no clue where she was walking to until arms wrapped around her from behind and her brother's scent filled her nose. She wanted to cry and scream, to punch and kick like a child that didn't get her way but no tears came from her eyes no screams left her lips as she shook all over and clung to Riff as tight as she could.

The funeral was a small affair, many of the kids didn't bother to show up, weather they felt guilty or didn't care no one ever knew. The few that did, forced by their parents or out of some kind of guilt, sat silently as the preacher read from his book. Columbia's mother spoke first recalling memories of the boisterous little girl her daughter had been then how as she got older and came home with bruises and cuts but still smiled, finally she sobbed talking about how the night before Columbia had gone missing she had heard her sobbing in her room but didn't go to her thinking she was dealing with something small or watching a sad movie, oh how the girl had loved those.

Magenta spoke next looking out at the kids in the crowd she found herself looking at the ones who had tormented her best friend into this, the ones who had pushed her and shoved her since they were children. Rage thawed her limbs as she looked at them. Before she could help herself Magenta began recalling all the times she'd spent with Columbia admitting she'd known about the scars but that the other girl always made up some tale about how the cat had scratched her or she had scratched her wrist to hard.

She brought up the times in the lower grades the kids would torment her friend until they'd had their fill or until Columbia was bleeding or bruised. She recalled the time in middle school Laura and her friends had held Columbia down and beat her until she had a black eye and a broken lip and yet the girl kept smiling like nothing was wrong or that it didn't hurt, at that point the woman sitting next to Laura Ansalong in the group looked shocked at her daughter. Magenta swallowed thickly taking a deep breath as tears pricked her eyes but didn't spill over.

"No one ever saw her pain because she hid it so well. Columbia wasn't as weak as everyone thought her to be, she was strong, stronger than anyone sitting here. When the others pushed her down and beat her she pushed the pain away and found the courage to smile again. She could have fought back, protected herself! But she never did cause she never wanted to hurt anyone! When I went through my first break up and thought the world was ending she was my rock, the one who held me and told me everything was fine! I see now more than ever that she was the one who needed to be held and told everything would be fine."

She looked at the picture of Columbia on the stand beside the casket both covered with brightly colored flowers as though they made the situation better.

"For years she pushed her own pain away and locked it inside because she was more concerned about how others felt before how she felt. When I first met her in kindergarten sure I thought she was a little annoying but she was sweet and caring too. All through school she was my best friend, when she'd come to me with a cracked lip or a bruised body but when you all called her names and shoved her head in the toilet until she was nearly drowned I could see the pressure building in her eyes! I tried to help her but she kept saying she was fine does she look fine now?!"

Magenta took a deep breath looking out at the crowd.

"I have no idea who told her to do it, I don't know who pushed her one last time that made her fall, I don't know who called her the naans that stung too much to ignore but whoever it was I hope you're happy with your work! You've taken one of the sweetest, kindest and most loving people out of the world!"

Riff went to her side from his seat and wrapped his arms around her leading her away as she began to shake. He knew the breakdown was at the threshold of his sister's mind and he wasn't going to let the people in the room see it. Magenta say with him shaking and snuggling but she didn't cry, her tears wouldn't fall though no matter how many gathered in her eyes. After a few more speakers the group moved outside as they moved the casket to where it would be buried.

As they left the church for the graveyard Magenta caught a glimpse of Eddie standing a ways off leaning against a tree in his leather jacket and a half bottle of alcohol in his hand as tears ran down his cheeks. She felt her heart sink at the sight, he was probably blaming himself for it all even though he hadn't had much of a part in it as the others now watching the ground as they walked beside their parents. Once they reached the sight the crowd gathered watching the casket being lowered, finally with a heart wrenching son Magenta broke down sobbing as memories of her friend flooded her head.

She collapsed against her brother sobbing her eyes out clinging to him for support, he held her tight a tear of his own sliding down his cheek as he watched the red roses on the lid be covered by dirt. Looking around at the crowed a vast majority of them were crying none louder than Magenta but still crying, even a few of the teens who had told Columbia to kill herself had tears in their eyes. The sky rumbled with thunder and it began to rain heavily and the crowd slowly left, mixed somewhere in the echo of thunder the roar of a motorbike driving off filled their air.

Years passed and things happened, good and bad. The girls who picked on Columbia had fixed themselves and we're trying hard to help kids in school. Eddie had dropped out of school and was trying to make his way as a saxophone player in Hollywood. Laura Ansalong ended up in jail three months after the funeral for drinking and doing drugs all under age. Magenta never talked to anyone other than her brother who feared she was turning down the same path as her friend when he'd found her sitting at the kitchen table one night silently crying while her hand rested on the table and blood trickled from the single slash across her wrist. Every day he'd kiss the scar it left and tell her it wasn't worth it because it didn't help the pain go away without causing more and beloved she'd stopped unaware of the cigarette burns on her arms until much later.

Columbia's mother and father fell apart after discovering the others affair, Carol moved away to live with her aunt before returning during her senior year changed completely. Magenta spent long days beside Columbia's grave talking as though her friend could hear or sometimes just sitting in silence a cigarette between her lips. Once in awhile she'd break down crying again and ask the stone why her friend had done it instead of telling someone and asking for help. After another few years when most of the town seemed to move on Magenta and Riff would bring their daughters to see the white marble headstone, of course it was hard for the two cousins to understand why they were brought here but Magenta's daughter traced the engraved name with her tiny finger reading it out loud, Columbia, her own name.

 _ **A/N: Once again I'm so sorry I had to do this but I felt like there's a path Collie could have fallen down and it would be horrible, the strong are only strong for so long before they break...it killed me to have Collie do this and it hurt me to make Magenta depressed and distant like that but it's how I see her reacting to losing the best friend she had. Ansalong is my favorite Shocky character so it hurt me a little to make her one of the bad guys but it needed to be done. Once again I apologize for this and any feeling it may have stirred.**_


End file.
